Systems for the deodorization, sanitation or disinfection of the interior or air conditioning system of a vehicle are widely known and have been disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,988 to Nishino et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,034 to Ripple et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,045 to Freedman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,520 to Freedman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,902 to Takemasa and U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,050 to Grimm. Although the art discloses a variety of systems for disinfecting and/or deodorizating an air conditioning system of an automobile, each of the systems generally comprises a dispensing unit connected to the duct work of the air conditioning system. Such known systems are expensive, generally difficult to manufacture and are generally intended for permanent use within the automobile.
Air conditioning systems are widely used in automobiles throughout the world and represent a significant commercial market. The build-up of mold, bacteria, fungi, and offensive and undesirable odors in automobile air conditioning systems remains a significant problem. Thus, there exists a need for simple-to-use, inexpensive and reliable systems for deodorizing and/or disinfecting or neutralizing offensive odors in automobile air conditioning systems.